Irrigation control gate



vSept 1941- J. s. THOMSON 2,257,626

7 IRRIGATION CONTROL GATE Filed Oct. 21, 1939 IN V EN TOR. Job 27 5'. 777 oms on' BY Q E i romvEy Patented Sept. 30, 1941 1 IRRIGATION con'ritoncarn f f John S. Thomson, Yuba City, Califq assignor to Valley Concrete Pipe & Products Company, Yuba City, Calii., a corporation of California Application October 21, 1939, Serial No. 300,614

3 Claims.

This invention relates in general to an improved irrigation control gate, and in particular the invention is directed to an improvement in that type of irrigation control gate which includes a horizontal pipe section, an enlarged vertical panel mounted on one end of the pipe section, and through which the pipe section opens, and a closure plate associated with the panel and arranged to control the flow of water through the pipe section; the assembly being adapted to be disposed in the side of an irrigation ditch in the customary manner.

The principal object of the invention is to provide unique means for mounting the closure plate with the panel in order to assure positive face to face engagement of, the plate and panel and yet provide for easy adjustment of said plate.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and, inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of

the assembly.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the assembly. Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the improved irrigation control gate comprises a horizontally disposed section of concrete pipe I which is formed at one end in unitary relation with, and

opens substantially centrally through, an enlarged rectangular concrete panel 2 disposed at right angles to the axis of said pipe section. The panel 2 is of substantial thickness, as shown, and is preferably reinforced internally. The pipe section I is of the type having an internal chamfer or flare 3 at one end, and such end is the one which extends through the panel 2; the bell assuring a free flow of water into the pipe section.

A rectangular front or closure plate 4 of concrete is disposed in face to face engagement with the outer face of panel 2; both panel 2 and plate 4 being disposed with their upper edges horizontal. The plate adjacent its upper edge extends some distance above the upper edge of panel 2 and is formed with a horizontal ledge 5 which projects in a direction tooverhang the upper edge of panel 2.

The bottom of this overhanging ledge is undercut from its rear outer edge, as at 6, at an upward acute angle to a. horizontal plane; while the upper relatively wide end or edge of panel 2 is formed with a cooperating chamfer or bevel I of a slightly less acute angle to a horizontal plane than the angle of the undercut 8. Due to the difference in angle between undercut 6 and bevel I, only the lower rear edge 8 of undercut 6 rests on said bevel, and thus there is only a line contact. The plate Lbeing of substantial weight and off center relative to edge 8, tends to swin toward panel 2 and about said edge as a fulcrum, thereby maintaining the panel and, plate in snug face to face engagement at all times and again displacement by water fiow.

Further, as there is only a line contact between the undercut ledge 5 and the bevel on panel 2, the relatively heavy plate 4 may be easily slid by hand in a direction to vary the extent to which said plate covers the open end While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, I

still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A closure plate mounting assembly for an irrigation control gatewh ich includes a fixed, fiat panel having a water flow opening therethrough, and a flat closure plate for the opening, said plate normally engaging the panel in face to face relation; said assembly comprising a horizontal ledge formed on the plate adjacent its upper edge and overhanging the upper edge of the panel, said ledge being undercut from the bottom at an upward acute angle to a horizontal plane, and the upper edge of the panel being horizontal, of substantial width, and formed with a bevel cooperating with said undercut portion of whereby the undercut ledge makes only a line contact with the bevel. V

- 2. A closure plate mounting assembly as in 7 claim 1 in which said undercut ledge and bevel extends from side to side of the plate and panel respectively. 7 a a 3. An irrigation control gate structure including a vertical panel provided with a water opening therethrou'gh and having its front face flush throughout its" area, a flat closure plate for said opening sl'idably cooperating with the panel, the top edge of the panel being laterally horizontal but being formed with a relatively ahrupt slopeto th rear to provide a surface extending from side to side of the panel which is disposed at an acute angle to a vertical plane, a rearwardly projecting ledge formed on the plate along the top and overhanging the top edge of the panel; said ledge heaving a longitudinal groove cut in its under face, the forward side of which is flush with the back side of the plate and the rear side of which is disposed at an angle steeper than that of the top edge of the'panel whereby the angled faces of the ledge groove and panel are in contact only along the lower edge of the groove and the bottom of the'latter is spaced from the top- 

